NATURE—AND MAN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 200, 27 August 1935, Page 3

NATURE—AND MAN

CUNNING OF BIRDS SOME REAIARKABLi: FLATS (By Leo Fanning.) Everybody knows of the cleverness of birds in various activities at tribal ed to mysterious “instinct,” which baffles scientists, although they offer explanations. “Evidence seems to be piling up that the flicker (a bird of U.S.A.) is the original telegrapher,” remarks a contributor tu Nature Alagazinc. “Several times in the early morning,” the writer states, “1 have been awakened by a sharp tapping on metal. One morning I located the sound as coming from the house across the street. Watching for a while I saw a flicker sitting on tne apex of the roof calling loudly for several minutes. Then he ran down to the eaves trough and hammered it several times, stopping for a few seconu* to listen before each attack upon tho metal trough. Then he ran back to the top of the roof and called again. He repeated these actions until finally another flicker joined him on the roof and tho two of them flew away. This took place several mornings

Lures for Insects. An English reviewer mentions that the destructi\e German owl uses some of its victims as varrion bait for insect life. “The dlea/d birds.” he says, “nil be p-laeed by a st ream or a bank or in a crevice, and the little owl returns again and again to feed off thy insects which have been attracted bv the <lecomposing bodies, of its victims. One of the Briitish field sport society ‘s local secretaries makes an illuniinating report on the killing of 16 pheasant chicks in a coopy by little owls. Tin owls reniox ed the dead vhicks one by one to the banks of a stream a few hundred yards away from the pheasant farm. Here the dead chicks and the bodies of many small bird* of other varieties were spread out at intervals oi’ a few vards. Three or four times a Jay the owls were seen to go down I" the line of traps tu eat the burying beetles which came to burv the unfortunate little birds which Hie owls had killed. Thoroughly alarmed by this alien pest’s slaughter of game and various kinds of small birds, the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society has decided to offer a royalty of a shilling a hood for the extermination of the nuisance. The society is appealing to kindI red bodies in other districts to follow its example.

A Guileful Dotterel. In the bouthlaud Times Mr. Jules 11. Tappur tells a story of a banded dotterel which was not satisfied with its usual pretence ol' a broken wing or other injury in luring him away iroin its nest, trum which he had flushed it in a spot by the upper roaVhcs of the Waiuu .River. “The dotterel’s box of tricks,” he remarks, “ were uf the usual antics of this spec es, pretenumg to have a broken leg u. wing ami falling over as if it coiiDi nut proceed another yard. Finally I saw the bird drop alongside a stunted white tussock and remained there until 1 was within a yard or so fur her. Judge my surprise to find that her stoppage hud been at a ground lark’s nest containing eggs. .x.* lhe fish.ng had proved good 1 again vis ted the liver next day. 1 again passed tho dotterel’s nesting place—'.he bird going through lhe identical performiurce, again stopping and leading me along to the lark’s nest. The Joiiei*el’s deliberate intention was without •doubt to take me away from her ue.-i to that of the lark. It was the cu'e-t and most cunning act e\cr 1 have hoard of by uno of the feathered I ribe. ’ ’ Of course, a cyuiv may say that it was only by a coincidence that the dotterel stopped the second time at the pipit’s nest. Why should the dotterel know that the pipit had a not the.e, and so lead the ini ruder to it, on the assumption that he would be content with a pipit’s eggs instead of a 10l terel’s? However, it is a good story and is worth believing.

Tho Lovable Pukeko That friendly lo'able bird, the inu< h por.seeuted pnkeko (knuuu as the swamp hen), has main stur-h < hum j pions, iii' luding t'A " well krnmn 1 writers, JI. < Ju/t h rie Smi I h and t'harlr* ’ NordholT, who now li\e* in I .S.A. II- n J i* a pleasant passage of a le“''r from > ■ Mi. WndliotT in the X’W Zealand j Fishing and Shooting Gazett' : “Two f | pairs of pnkeko now l'.\e a wild lite I i b. a nearb} swamp, but one p.-iir did ! uie tli-’ honour Io stop with us, an l are ( I (he i'v of my life; the handsomest, • most interest ing an.] most romical bird* I ; I have e\er kept, full of eliarn-'ter and i sense of humour. I suppose vou know all about their quaint habit* and vries, | and that thev roost in trees preciseh ns fowl* d->. li is haul for me to In- I beve the stories of their being a pest; | mine are surrounded by nesting hen* , in the shrubbery, but never touch tin | egg. It bird lovers all over the world knew lhe pukeko, it would ]Kiy to start a farm for rearing them in New Zealand.” Not nianv of New Zealand’s pools hfl\e -•xpemh'd praise* on the cabbage tree (writes James Cowan). They have

I found more inspiring subjects in the I I'dn 11ci '-, (lie puliutnkawa, th e rata am! ilir kauri. Allied Jhimett. is one M Hie very few who described the T’ I . \ei -<•; he fun nd I ime to admire it in 1 “ Kanolf and Ainohia ”: iThat strange asphodel ' (>n tufts of green bayonet-’oladcf' ’ Great lnjn< hes of white bloom upbore, j Like bl'" k- nf *ea washed madrepore, i That steeped th n moon in fragrance. I wid-. I Till b\ the exceeding sweet opprest i The >t;ilc;v tree fern leaned aside t fur la i-uoiir. . . • I ’ Io ih,. Maori the li is quick with I poet:.- and legendary suggestion; it is twined about with song and story a* I ihieklx as vou see some of these aon | ernble cabbage-trees in pmks nnd "a'dens grown around with pakeka I ivies.